By Gathuru John
This post on X (formerly Twitter), shared on October 6, 2026, at 1402hrs, claims that Oburu Odinga is dead. The post originated from an account with the username Mr. Pubungu, which boasts 11.1 thousand followers. The alleged breaking news post has been viewed more than 324K times.
Background
On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, popular Kenyan blogger Aoko made a post on X claiming that Senator of Siaya County and Orange Democratic Party leader, Oburu Oginga Odinga, is dead. The post, as shown below, has been viewed more than 2.7 million times.
This led to the claim spreading online, with posts like the one in this article further spreading it. See more posts spreading the claim here, and here.
Verification
On the same day, October 6, 2026, at 2111hrs, Oburu Oginga Odinga’s Secretariat published a communique on his X account to deny the claim that Oburu was dead. It read in part,
“We wish to assure the general public, members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the people of Siaya County, and the entire nation that Dr. Oburu Oginga is well, safe, and in good spirits.”
Below is the communique that they published.
In the communique, it was noted that Oburu Odinga was under strict directives from his doctors to take forced rest and limit heavy physical engagements. This saw him miss the handing-over ceremony of the Raila Odinga Mausoleum that took place the following day, on October 7, 2026, during which his family members presented his apology for missing the event, citing illness.
Verdict
The claim that Oburu Oginga is dead is FALSE.
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